Sam Barone arrived in Mount Vernon as a student at Kenyon College, graduating in 1972.
He and his wife, Paula, also a Kenyon College graduate, decided to stay and raise a family in the community. They are still here a half-century later, and Barone recently retired as director of the Knox County Foundation (KCF).
He was also a recent recipient of the lifetime achievement award from Philanthropy Ohio.
“Mr. Barone is receiving this year’s award in recognition of his 18-year leadership of the community foundation, where he grew assets four-fold and collaborated to improve the lives of those living in Knox County; and we are excited to present this award to him,” Deborah Aubert Thomas, president and CEO of Philanthropy Ohio, said.
In 2002, when he was named director of KCF, it had assets of about $21 million, Barone told the Mount Vernon News.
When he retired this year, its assets had grown to more than $80 million.
“We broadened the base of people who partnered with the foundation,” Barone said. “That is the metric I am most proud of.”
In 2009, the Foundation launched a youth philanthropy program that teaches high school students about the mechanics of philanthropy, including fundraising.
“They have done their own fundraising efforts,” Barone said. “They have not only awarded $100,000 in grants for youth-oriented projects in the community, they have also created through their fundraising an ongoing endowment of $100,000 which helps feed that grant program.”
Economic development remains the key to having a strong community, Barone noted.
“It all starts with good jobs,” he said. “The challenge for us is to create that economic platform that people here and in the best of all worlds, create opportunities for their children to return here.”
Under Barone's leadership, the Knox County Foundation created a scholarship program for non-college-bound high school graduates.
“These are for people who are interested in entering the work force but maybe just need a little assistance such as technical training to make them work-ready,” he said. “I am quite proud that we undertook that initiative.”
Mount Vernon residents should take great pride in their community, Barone said.
“Mount Vernon really has been an example of a resurgence of a Midwestern community,” he said. “It’s unlike many cities whose downtowns have been hollowed out. We had a very deliberate plan for reinventing our central business district into an education corridor with a lot of supporting businesses.”
